Dr. Mustofa Munir:
The political and social landscape of Bangladesh has undergone a dramatic transformation in the aftermath of the July 2024 uprising. The movement, largely driven by the younger generation, has shaken the foundations of fifteen fifteen-year of fascist regime.
The uprising or revolution reflects an organic evolution—a growing aspiration to establish a more amalgamated multicultural and ethically grounded social order with equality in all aspects of life, wherein faith, culture, and civic harmony coexist.
Bangladesh, since its birth in 1971, has carried the label of a “secular state.” However, that secularism was often perceived as an imposed concept of neighbouring India, aiming to suppress the religion and culture of the vast majority people of the country, where nearly 90 per cent of the population identifies as Muslim. The July 2024 uprising, therefore, can be seen as a collective rejection of an artificial, elitist secularism. The uprising embraced a model of coexistence based on the shared moral and cultural fabric of Bangladeshi society.
A Youth-Led Revolution Against Fascism and Division
Bangladesh today is a country of young people. Nearly half of its citizens are under the age of thirty. This demographic not only represents the future of the nation but has also become its moral compass. It was the youth who spearheaded the July uprising, protesting against political authoritarianism, social corruption, and intellectual hypocrisy. Their movement was not only against fascism in governance but also against the suppression of the people’s moral and spiritual voice in the name of so-called “progressive” politics.
The youth who led the uprising demanded dignity, justice, and equality. They envision a Bangladesh where every citizen—Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or Christian—can live together with mutual respect. Their idea of freedom does not exclude religion from public life, but one that allows faith to guide ethics, compassion, and civic responsibility.
This young generation is highly conscious of global trends yet deeply rooted in their own culture. They do not seek to imitate the West; instead, they want to build a model of multicultural coexistence that reflects Bangladesh’s own social reality and heritage.
Women and the Reawakening of Ethical Confidence
Half of Bangladesh’s population is composed of women, and they are increasingly emerging as a decisive force in shaping the country’s moral and political direction. In the recent university students’ union elections ( DUCSU and JUCSU), an unexpected trend caught the attention of many analysts. A significant number of female students—across ideological and party lines—cast their votes in favour of the Islamic student organisation Shibir. When asked, their response was simple yet powerful: they felt safe with the ethics and values these groups represented.
This phenomenon revealed a crucial shift in the collective consciousness of Bangladeshi women. It was not a vote for patriarchy or dogmatism but for ethical assurance—for a social environment where dignity, modesty, and mutual respect prevail. Female students expressed that they were not compelled to wear hijab or follow strict codes; rather, they valued the emphasis on modesty as a social virtue that protects the integrity of both men and women.
According to them, Islamic values do not restrict women—rather, safeguard their honour. They want to contribute equally to the nation’s development, to work in all spheres—government, education, industry, and entrepreneurship—while being respected for their faith and womanhood. This evolving mindset represents a fusion of modern empowerment and ethical consciousness, a combination rarely understood by the so-called “liberal elites” of Dhaka.
Multiculturalism: A New Model of Harmony
Bangladesh’s transition after July 2024 is not about abandoning secularism in favour of religious orthodoxy; it is about redefining coexistence. The emerging social philosophy is multiculturalism—the inclusion of diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious identities within a unified national framework.
Under this vision:
- Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists live as equal citizens under one law.
- Religious festivals of all faiths are celebrated as part of the national culture.
- Educational institutions promote respect for diversity while upholding ethical values.
- Public policies protect the right of every individual to practice and express their faith without fear or bias.
This evolving model is not state-imposed but organically arising from the people’s collective will. It represents a reconciliation between faith and modernity, spirituality and civic life. It rejects the idea of cultural alienation, the idea leads to the erasure of religion or tradition.
The Resistance of the ‘Shushil Shamaj’
Amidst these changes, one group stands in resistance: the so-called pro-Indian Shushil Shamaj or “civil society.” This small cluster of self-proclaimed intellectuals, numbering perhaps no more than a hundred, mostly based in Dhaka, has long dominated the country’s public discourse. They project themselves as the guardians of liberal values and democracy, yet their words often reveal a deep-seated Islamophobia.
For decades, this elite group enjoyed patronage from Western donors and NGOs, framing Bangladesh’s political narrative through their own narrow lens. They equated religiosity with backwardness and labelled any movement rooted in Islamic values as “fundamentalist.” Their version of secularism, however, failed to resonate with the common people. It was seen as detached, foreign, and condescending—a system that sought to reform the masses without understanding them.
In the aftermath of the uprising, the influence of this small class has waned. The people’s movement, driven by youth and women alike, has reclaimed the right to define Bangladesh’s moral direction on its own terms. The “Shushil Shamaj” now appears increasingly irrelevant in a society that demands authenticity over imported ideologies.
A Changing World Order
Bangladesh’s social reawakening is also in tune with broader global trends. Across continents, people are questioning the limits of secularism that ignores faith, and they are challenging systems of power that use “democracy” and “rights” as tools of control rather than liberation.
The world today is in flux. From Asia to Africa, from the Middle East to Latin America, communities are demanding dignity rooted in their cultural and moral traditions. The idea that secularism must mean hostility to religion is losing ground. Instead, nations are moving toward pluralistic coexistence—where different faiths live together not in isolation, but in respectful interaction.
However, this transition faces resistance from powerful global interests. Certain political powers, driven by greed and geopolitical ambition, continue to exploit divisions—using religion, ethnicity, or ideology to keep regions unstable. Bangladesh, too, is not immune to these pressures. But its people, through their collective consciousness, are beginning to rise above external manipulation and internal hypocrisy alike.
Conclusion: The Dawn of a New Ethical Bangladesh
The fall of the so-called secularism in Bangladesh is not a descent into religious authoritarianism; rather, it is the rise of a more genuine social harmony, one that reflects the nation’s cultural roots and moral vision. The July 2024 uprising will mark the beginning of this reawakening, through imposing and legalising the July Charter declaration by the people that they will no longer accept values imposed from above or abroad.
Bangladesh now stands on the threshold of a new identity which should be morally balanced, culturally inclusive, and socially just. Its young generation is ready to lead this transformation with courage and conviction.
If the trend continues, Bangladesh may soon emerge as a model for the developing world—a nation that has found a way to combine faith, freedom, and fraternity in a single national soul.
